Hi everyone, firstly guess who turned 8 years old on Monday ? no not me, although some people say I act that age occasionally, it was the birthday of your sailing club !!! Yes, we have been here for 8 years now and I always find it amazing that from such humble beginnings that we now have such a successful family sailing club . The success is due largely to all those who volunteer tirelessly for the club because without you people it wouldn't be possible so give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done .

8.30am Juniors

Well, last Sunday was certainly a big one with over twenty kids turning up in overcast conditions and winds around 8/9 knots from the south making it perfect for a comfortable reach across the channel . Who was the best ? Well its hard to say because everyone looked like they were really enjoying themselves even if there were a few capsizes and people falling out of boats ( Josh ? ). We even had a couple of returning sailors who went out with Casey and Ava just to get there skills back which looked to me like they had again by the smiles all around . Yes capsizing at the end looked like a lot of fun as usual .

10.30am Juniors

With the winds no turning e/s/e at around 10/12 knots we originally sent everyone off around the buoys in front of the club and once everyone was comfortable on their boats we then set a new course south of the club which we slowly stretched all the way to the canal south of the club. Why did i set that course ? It was to test and improve their upwind sailing, and I have to say that everyone really surprised me with how they approached their latest sailing challenge . Jackson in the Bic really got it together much to his Dads pleasure, so did Jeff, Spencer, Abbey, Lewis, Jess and her free loader crew Dan , I think I got them all good work team !

Open Bic

With only Dallas and Jonah at the start this week and winds now nearly dead easterly, we set them off with the adults in around 6/ 14 knots. Yep you guessed it it was pretty flukey especially in the club channel . I have to say not only was the sailing good but it was also tight with both boys trying to get a slight advantage throughout the whole race . Every time we checked them out the were neck and neck with Dallas only finally getting a gap on the run to the finish line . Great sailing boys!

Adult Racing

With only a small fleet, due to so much sailing on elsewhere, as I said previously we started adults and Juniors together which made for an uncomplicated start for me Michael and Tianna. We even got to use the Individual recall flag ! thanks Will, and yes you were over . I have to admit it was a bit of a dodgy start line with the wind basically out of the east but it did make the starting end preference interesting . Tom came home first with Will second and Greg third. Will got lost as usual when in front and had to wait for Tom to catch up to follow him around the course , must be the new boat right Tom .

Additional Notes

Racing : This weekend is the last race for 2015 and weather permitting it will be a marathon and with any luck I am going to give it a try , I am really looking forward to being out there .

Try Sailing Xmas Party : Sunday the 6th of December, with setting up starting at 7.30 am which includes rigging boats , extra marques , registration and fun .

Xmas Break : The club will be closed from Wednesday the 23rd of Dec and officially re open on Monday the 4th of January so there will be no juniors for two Sundays .

Hi Everyone , as we get closer to Christmas, our Try sailing Day and Club Xmas Party are getting even closer ( Sunday 6th of December ), we are already in the planning stages for next years big Events, and with the ever increasing number of new junior sailors on Sundays we will also be looking at letting everyone experience both different boats and formats .

8.30am Juniors

With a very iffy forecast, we were lucky to have this class running as conditions early were around 4/7 knots so everyone managed to get out on the water and sail the southerly winds . With the help of a few of our senior junior sailors everyone had the chance to both practice steering and general crew work , its amazing how with a little encouragement even our 5 and 6 year olds are mastering sailing . I saw Ava steering the laser , Mary steering a Tera , Jasmine steering a Tera ( with coaching from Pat ) and the list goes on .

10.30am Juniors

With again help from Pat, this again was a good session and even though the wind was increasing with a dead southerly building, he did some great work with both Kaleb and Spencer, who by the way was actually the best on water in the Teras for the session . Cody had a bit of trouble with the conditions, so he and I worked on technique closer to shore, while Ollie despite a lot of encouragement in both the Bic and the Tera spent a lot of time capsized and getting towed ? Hopefully he will do better next week . Finally we need some more girls to sail with Jess since Maya broke her arm, so if you are keen girls let us know and we can move up !

Open Bic

Well, by the time both Dallas and Pat got out to the start line it was blowing 20 knots, so reaching across the start line was in order with Dallas absolutely flying and Pat the same except when he wasn't nearly nose diving . Casey joined them as well at the start, so that must have been why the were all very early for the start even though Tianna was yelling at them to get back . By the time they all reached A mark the wind had increased to around 25 knots, and with Dallas the only successful one at the bear away the others just continually capsized until we packed up Pat's boat on the shore and Michael jumped in with Casey to sail her home as it was just too windy .

Adult Racing

Well being a bit wild, we only had a small fleet of six lasers and as with the Bics by the time they reached the A mark it had really gotten wild with waves over a metre and winds gust up to thirty knots so there was a bit of swimming going on including the Jetski Crew who actually capsized the ski before the start ( it certainly was entertaining ).The bulk of the course was in the bottom half of our channel just to keep everyone out of the worst of the conditions, but it was still wild and fast . I was very tempted to borrow Will's boat just to have a couple of screaming reaches in front of the club but someone had to pick up the buoys .HOW WINDY WAS IT ? One wave that hit the start boat went over the roof yes over the roof so well done to everyone who sailed !

Additional Notes

Volunteers Special Event : If you are free on the Australia Day long weekend we are looking for shore crew , boat crew and canteen crew for the Wind surfing Nationals

Hi Everyone , you might have already seen my Facebook post but just in case you didn't, the 14 skiff is now fully operational thanks to the help of Alex McMillan who finished setting the spinnaker up last Saturday . Once it was finished he took Dallas and Casey for its first run under spinnaker, and yes it looked cool even when it capsized ! Great fun was had by all .

8.30am Juniors

Well, as usual mother nature gave us a great morning with winds from the north at around 6/8 knots making for great learning conditions . With Kyle back on Sarah Cooper keeping an eye on the passing traffic and our senior junior sailors helping the new sailors it was a great sight watching all the smiling faces . Now the water is definitely warmer capsizing is definitely on, with nearly all boats practicing their skills at righting their boats with even Mary keen to have a go when everyone jumped on Casey's Laser for a bit of fun at the end

10.30am Juniors

With winds now up around 8/10 knots and still coming from the north it was perfect for tacking and gybing . Ollie in his new Bic struggled a bit with his new found power which is standard when you first jump into a Bic, but I am sure he will master the speed of his new boat soon . Also one of our new 10.30 sailors Jeff is steadily improving form, from being all at sea when he first transferred to now working on the new skills needed to progress towards racing .

Open Bic

With absolutely perfect wind but threatening storms three boats lined up on the start line with one of our old sailors Siebren turning up for a go with Dallas and Pat . Dallas really blew the start with the other two getting the jump and then compounded it with a capsize and fell right back, but as luck would have it and some determined sailing plus the other guys also capsizing Dallas managed to beat both Siebren and Pat over the line . I have to say that the sailing was good to watch with the boys showing their skills .

Adult Racing

With, as I mentioned with the Bics, that a storm was brewing but only a small fleet of sailors we sent them off for a run up and down our channel and then the Sovereign channel with Tom leading the fleet but Greg hot on his tail after an early capsize and the rest of the fleet close, it proved to be a good race with some very competitive sailing from everyone . Unfortunately we had to shorten the race due to conditions becoming too dangerous with lightning coming towards the fleet from the south with Tom just getting Greg over the line .

Additional Notes

Try Sailing and Club Xmas Party will be held on Sunday the 6th of December, invite your friends along and help support your local hospital.

Hi Everyone , well the big news is that we have another Bic in the club with Ollie's parents finding him a bargain in North Queensland. Is he impressed, yes because the continuous smile was a give away ! All we need now is a few more up and coming budding Bic sailors to join in with him and work towards next years Youth Cup .

8.30am Juniors

With good numbers and even better weather, this class is going ahead leaps and bounds and with both parents and Juniors wanting to know where do they go next with their sailing experience. We are firstly pushing quite a few to 10.30 class and also suggesting Saturday afternoon class as well . Who knows where some of these great little sailors will end up ? It's a credit to all our Instructors and volunteers working tirelessly to make sure everyone learns and has fun

10.30am Juniors

With a couple of newbies in this group again and winds around 6/8 knots tending N/E it was perfect for both tacking and gybing practice, and with the course spread out across the channel everyone had time to work on their sailing skills . Jess's friend Maya did well in the Laser especially when Jess got off ! Funnily enough the boats seemed to stop capsizing when that happened . Jeffrey, one of the new guys, also came to grips with the challenge of 10.30 class as well buy the end of the session .

Open Bic

With Pat away, it was only Jonah and Dallas supporting the Bics at the start line, and with an ever increasing outgoing current they both struggled on the upwind up to the bottom of Sovereign. But with a bit of coaching from me they both managed to make it around the course, which was a long one of around 1.5 hrs ( getting them ready for the end of the year marathon !)

Open Race

With no opposition in her age group, Casey sailed with the adults and her and Trish had a battle around the course. It definitely gave Casey some much needed upwind practice, and to her credit she completed the course in 2.5 hrs . The rest of the adults were lead by Will around the course, who slowly but surely edged away even when he went up the wrong channel and had to cut back across the gutter at Ephraim . Peter Fell was seen using the new Laser sail ? but the jury is still out on that one as it will need some practice to see how well it works . The race was a long one even with good winds because of the current speed with everyone around the two hour mark at the line .

Additional Notes

Events : The flyers are out for the Try Sailing fundraiser day on December 6th, so if you can pick a couple up next time you are at the club and perhaps deliver them to your schools, we can look forward to good numbers on the day .

Xmas Party : Sad news Pieter isn't doing his famous Ham this year as he has to go racing ! But the good news is that Justine has taken over and she is doing the Ham this year and the raffle meat trays, so all is good with the Xmas party for another year .

Hi Everyone, well finally the skiff went for its first run on Saturday and as predicted it had a swim on the first tack but after some crew discussions the crew sailed it for another 45 minutes before it went over for its second swim . It was decided by Pat and Dallas that Casey would get the blame

as the boys weren't on either the jib ( first swim ) or main ( second swim ) . There was lots of laughing and good speed for the rest of the session.

8.30am Juniors

With conditions perfect with blue skies and light s/e winds and with a group of sixteen sailors on the water it was perfect for even the newbies to have a go at steering . As usual a special thanks goes to our experienced juniors who went out and helped the new up and coming sailors to learn the skills of sailing .

Capsizing is now back on at the end of each session now that the water is warmer with over half the fleet taking up the challenge to tip their boats over and have some fun .

10.30am Juniors

With a good roll up we sent the fleet out the front to practice triangles especially upwind sailing which everyone knows is initially difficult to master . With both safety boats out there giving instruction everyone started to get the idea of how it was done especially with the help of Dallas who was helping Cody in his first sail in a Bic .

We rounded the session off with a couple of races with beach starts so great fun was had by all .

Open Bic Racing

With the winds now blowing E/N/E at around 8/12 knots and with the boys starting with the Adults it was a great day for the Bics with conditions perfect for the boats to relish in the conditions . Dallas slowly got away from Pat and Jonah who were in a battle of their own that was until Jonah found the sand and Pat tacked away fast which then gave him second . I have to say that watching the three boats going to windward with each one hiking out as far as possible was very satisfying from a coach's view , well done boys !

Adult Racing

With only a small fleet due to a lot of people sailing down Grafton way, it was a much more sedate start line with even Will starting actually on Starboard . He and Greg are starting to have a great tussle with Will having to sail very hard to open up any sort of gap . Conditions did get a bit flukey up around Sovereign with wind shifts and drop outs but general conditions were great for a day on the water. Oh, except for some thoughtless Jetski riders, but what do you do ?The race took just over 1 hr with Will first, Greg 50 seconds behind and Andrew third . Both Casey and Michael sailed their 4.7s in the Adult section and even though Michael got away at first Casey clawed her way back to finish 45 seconds behind Michael .

Other Notes

Our annual Try sailing day is on on the 6th of December so invite all your friends along to have a sail with our sailors and donate some money to The Gold Coast University Hospital .

Following the try sailing we will be having the annual Christmas Party with a Barbeque and munchies for everyone . If you are coming along just bring a plate with food for the table .